Pro-choice vs Pro-life vocabulary

I adjust the vocabulary I use in my work depending on my target audience. For example, if I’m giving a speech to a pro-life crowd, I’ll inevitably use certain words and phrases that I would avoid when giving a presentation to predominantly pro-choice students. I change it up because, most of the time, I want listeners to focus on my main points without getting distracted by vernacular that signals we’re on opposing sides. Rather than get hung up on debates about connotations, I will often try to express my points in whatever language I think the target audience is most accustomed to.

To that end I’ve compiled lists of words and phrases that typically indicate the speaker is either pro-life or pro-choice. (Note the lists aren’t a commentary on which phrases are useful, accurate, or effective, only which side usually uses them.) If you have suggestions for additions, feel free to contact us and let us know.

Pro-choice Vocabulary

• 6-week ban (referring to heartbeat legislation)
• abortion care
• abortion is healthcare
• an acorn is not a tree
• anti-choice
• antis
• bans off our bodies
• blow job is cannibalism
• burning IVF lab/fertility clinic
• cardiac cells
• clump of cells
• don’t force you religion on others
• don’t like abortion, don’t get one
• electrical activity
• every child a wanted child
• fake clinics
• fertilized egg
• fetal pole cardiac activity
• fewer rights than a corpse
• forced birth
• forced birther
• forced pregnancy
• full range of reproductive care
• gestational age bans (referring to heartbeat legislation)
• gestational slavery
• get your rosaries off my ovaries
• Handmaid’s Tale
• heavy period
• induced miscarriage
• internalized misogyny
• later abortion
• marginalized women/groups
• masturbation is genocide
• medication abortion
• menstruation is murder
• my body my choice
• no uterus, no opinion
• obstetric violence
• parasite
• personally pro-life
• potential life
• pro-birth
• products of conception
• reproductive justice
• reproductive rights
• safe and effective
• safe, legal, and accessible
• safe, legal, and free
• safe, legal, and rare
• self-managed abortion
• shout your abortion
• terminate a pregnancy
• tissue
• trust women
• unwanted pregnancy
• Violinist argument
• ZEF

Pro-life Vocabulary

• abolitionist
• abortifacient
• abortion business
• abortion industry
• abortion mill
• abortion pill reversal
• abortion survivors
• abortionist
• abortion-minded
• abortuary
• baby
• baby killer
• black genocide
• chemical abortion
• crisis pregnancy centers
• commit abortions
• deathscorts (clinic escorts)
• difficult cases
• dismemberment ban
• elective abortion
• expectant mother
• gendercide
• heart
• heartbeat
• heartbeat bill
• hell
• Holocaust reference
• infanticide
• late-term abortion
• life-affirming
• life begins at conception
• love them both
• men regret lost fatherhood
• murder/murderer
• partial birth abortion
• post-abortion healing
• post abortion syndrome
• post-abortive
• preborn
• pregnancy resource centers
• pro-abortion
• pro-death
• pro-life
• sidewalk counselors
• treating both patients
• unborn
• unborn baby
• what if you were aborted?
• womb

Neutral Vocabulary

• abortion clinic?
• abortion provider
• anti-abortion
• embryo
• fetus
• self-induced abortion
• unintended pregnancy
• uterus
• zygote